Two New Mexico Supreme Court justices updated state lawmakers Tuesday on their efforts to address rural lawyer shortages, and broached the idea of joining the growing number of states to implement alternative licensing to the bar exam.
Several challenges contribute to the state’s lawyer shortage. New Mexico has just one law school — at the University of New Mexico — and it produces about 100 graduates per class, Chief Justice Julie Vargas and Justice C. Shannon Bacon told lawmakers on the state Legislature’s interim Courts, Corrections and Justice Committee at a hearing in downtown Albuquerque. At most, UNM’s program could produce 120 graduates annually, which would still do little to address severe lawyer shortages.
In addition, New Mexico is predominantly rural and has among the highest poverty rates in the nation, both of which create barriers along the traditional path to becoming an attorney…